1. Field of the Technology
This invention relates generally to methods of fabricating side-by-side read/write heads with trailing shield structures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic head assemblies are typically made of multiple thin film layers which are patterned to form various shaped layers in the head. Some of the layers are plated while other layers are sputter deposited on a wafer substrate. The magnetic head may include both a read head portion and a write head portion. The read head portion of a magnetic head assembly includes multiple layers that are typically sputter deposited. For example, the multiple layers of a read sensor, hard bias and lead layers connected to the read sensor, and first and second read gap layers below and on top of the read sensor are typically sputter deposited. On the other hand, the write head portion of the magnetic head includes magnetic pole materials which may be electroplated and non-magnetic layers which may be sputter deposited. The write head portion may be designed as a perpendicular-type recording head which includes a trailing shield which surrounds the pole tip.
Many magnetic head designs utilize a “stacked” approach, where the read head and the write head are formed one after the other in a stacked architecture. Other magnetic head designs utilize a “side-by-side” approach, where the read head and the write head are formed side-by-side in the same plane of the wafer. Side-by-side magnetic heads are typically advantageous in that they can provide for improved electrical, magnetic, and thermal separation between the read head and the write head. If the read head and the write head were to be formed in an aligned fashion in the side-by-side approach, only process windage and mechanical lapping control would define the location of the read and write elements. This would advantageously reduce process variations in terms of the relative orientation of the read head and the write head to the air bearing surface (ABS) plane.
Accordingly, there is a strong-felt need for a method of forming a side-by-side read/write head with a self-aligned trailing shield structure.